[****]Victoria Azarenka has been involved at the top of the WTA Tour for over a decade now.
Azarenka has struggled so far in 2025, having won only two of her six matches in the opening few months of the season.
At her most recent tournament, Azarenka lost to Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Despite being in her 23rd year as a professional tennis player, Azarenka is still making significant changes to her setup.
The Belarusian is known for speaking her mind, with Azarenka commenting on Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, and now she has responded to an incident that took place last year.
Victoria Azarenka responds to Jelena Ostapenko after Qatar Open incident
Azarenka lost her only match in Doha this year to eventual Qatar Open champion Amanda Anisimova.
However, last year the 35-year-old made it all the way to the quarter-finals after beating Jelena Ostapenko.
This match between Azarenka and Ostapenko was particularly tense, with the former winning 6-0 6-3.
After the conclusion of the final point, Azarenka approached the net for a handshake only to be met with an outreached racket from Ostapenko.
Azarenka appeared bemused by this action from Ostapenko, and has now given her side of the story when speaking on world number 12 Daria Kasatkina’s YouTube channel.
“I can say it’s not my problem, it was her problem,” said Azarenka. “I don’t know what she wanted me to do with the racket she gave me. She can put it in another place.
“I mean who gives the racquet in 2024? Somebody who acts like a b[****], I’ll be a b[****] too. I won’t start it but if you want to play, let’s play… I’m nice until someone provokes me.”
What is Victoria Azarenka’s head-to-head with Jelena Ostapenko?
This was the most recent encounter between Azarenka and Ostapenko, with the Belarusian extending her dominant lead in the head-to-head.
Azarenka has won all five of their meetings, including at Roland Garros where Ostapenko won her only Grand Slam title to date in 2017.
This includes three matches in 2024, with their closest encounter coming at the Brisbane International where Azarenka came through in a close fought deciding set.
| [****]Year | [****]Tournament | [****]Result |
| 2019 | Roland Garros | Azarenka beat Ostapenko, 6-4 7-6(4) |
| 2021 | Indian Wells | Azarenka beat Ostapenko, 3-6 6-3 7-5 |
| 2024 | Brisbane International | Azarenka beat Ostapenko, 6-3 3-6 7-5 |
| 2024 | Australian Open | Azarenka beat Ostapenko, 6-1 7-5 |
| 2024 | Qatar Open | Azarenka beat Ostapenko, 6-0 6-3 |
These one-sided head-to-head’s are not rare for the Latvian to have, with Ostapenko dominating Swiatek in another surprising rivalry.